Local Government Act 2000
The Local Government Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales. Its principal purposes are:
- to give powers to local authorities to promote economic, social and environmental well-being within their boundaries
- to require local authorities to shift from their traditional committee-based system of decision-making to an executive model, possibly with a directly-elected mayor (subject to approval by referendum), and with a cabinet of ruling party group members
- to create a consequent separation of functions with local authorities, with backbench councillors fulfilling an overview and scrutiny role
- to introduce a revised ethical framework for local authorities, requiring the adoption of codes of conduct for elected members and standards committees to implement the codes of conduct; the introduction of a national Standards Board and Adjudication Panel to deal with complaints and to oversee disciplinary issues
The Act received Royal Assent in July 2000.
The introduction of directly-elected mayors was the most radical innovation in the Act. About thirty local referendums have been held, the majority of which have decided against the elected mayor option.
 |
This article related to government in the United Kingdom or its constituent countries is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
